Welcome to the Maia Community Kevok,
I was throwing money at my screen back in Nov 2012 when I found Maia, I started clicking an empty spot on my desktop that is reserved for the MaiaAlpha.exe about the same time.
Since then Simon has run his kickstarter and IndieGogo crowdfunding campaigns.
The project has moved along really nicely in that time, but patience is required.

Heat haze tends to blur and distort the environment behind it, at the very least makes the area appear out of focus. Whilst if you look at the I.M.P behind that heat haze effect there is no observable change, it just gets masked by semi-transparent oily substance.